Ecstasy's danger clear

DEA launches a crackdown on club drugs as millions more try them

November 27, 2002|By Jimmy Greenfield.

Ecstasy is dangerous and risky--that much Sarah Wainright and the Drug Enforcement Administration can agree on.

When Wainright compares the objectives of DanceSafe, a national organization that promotes safety within the rave and nightclub community, with those of the DEA, she still believes they may be on the same side.

"Ultimately, we want people to not die and not have really bad experiences," said Wainright, head of DanceSafe in Chicago, one of the group's 25 U.S. chapters.

Rick Sanders' goal as the DEA's special agent in charge of the Chicago Field Division is not much different, but he doesn't condone DanceSafe's practice of testing pills to be sure they contain Ecstasy and not some unknown drug at clubs and parties, because DanceSafe hands the pills back to partiers.

"I don't believe in what they do," he said. "To me it sounds like testing a bullet for lead content before placing it in a gun and shooting yourself."

The DEA last week announced the start of Operation X-Out, a national anti-Ecstasy campaign created in response to government statistics showing that 8.1 million Americans 12 and older tried Ecstasy in 2001, up from 6.5 million the year before. Sanders said the Chicago office will play a role in Operation X-Out by focusing their attention on ports of entry for the drug, places such as bus stations, train stations and airports.

Wainright, 24, hasn't tested pills at a party in more than a year, in part because club owners are reluctant to let DanceSafe set up booths, an admission they're aware of drug use. Also, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance last year that could send building owners and managers to jail if they knowingly let property be used for raves at which controlled substances are used, distributed, stored or made.

Even so, the number of emergency-room visits in Chicago related to Ecstasy use rose by 1,066 percent from 1994 to 2001, according to the Drug Abuse Warning Network.

"The misconception is that the use is in the clubs," said Dr. Abhin Singla, 34, an internist who serves as director of three Chicago-area drug treatment centers. "The majority of use is in the home."

Singla said researchers are at least a year away from determining what long-term effects Ecstasy may cause, but tests on animals have shown long-term memory loss from even one dose.

"I suppose that if kids are going to take it then [club testing is] better than nothing," Singla said. "But I want to stress that we're looking at the long-term use and we're not even sure if there is a safe way to use it."

Wainright isn't sure, either. And that's why she feels the need to help those who choose to take Ecstasy.

"Drug use has always been around, it always will be around, and for them to think that they're going to stamp it out is a ridiculous idea," Wainright said.

Sanders disagrees.

"I'm not naive enough to think we're going to stop everyone from doing it," Sanders said. "But to put the message out that it's hopeless and just make sure you're doing good drugs--and not doing not-so-good drugs--I just don't condone that."

The bad side of the high

Here are a few of the side effects that have been linked to Ecstasy use:

- Increased heart rate

- Convulsions

- Extreme rise in body temperature

- Uncontrollable movements

- Insomnia

- Impaired speech

- Dehydration

- High blood pressure

- Grinding teeth

For more information

National Institute on Drug Abuse: www.clubdrugs.org

DanceSafe: www.dancesafe.org

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information

800-729-6686

One woman tells the dark tale of use

Lynn Smith began taking Ecstasy during college in New York City and says she became addicted to the drug, taking it every weekend and molding her lifestyle around the pursuit of it.

One night after taking a hit she began hallucinating, she says, and ended up spending two weeks in a psychiatric ward.

"I thought, 'It's just a little pill with a smiley face on it,' and it made me feel really good," Smith said. "I didn't have to stick a needle in my arm or smoke anything."

Since her recovery, Smith, 25, has testified before Congress about her experience with Ecstasy and will speak next month to students at suburban New Trier High School.

"I don't tell people, 'You shouldn't do this, you shouldn't do that,'" said Smith, who works as a nanny and lives in New York City. "I just tell my story."